Many foods contain substances that help improve depression by increasing levels of certain brain chemicals. Some medications prescribed to treat patients with depression work to boost these same chemicals. Including these foods in a nutritious, well-balanced diet may help relieve symptoms of depression. Consult a doctor for dietary and medical advice if you suffer from ongoing depression.
Protein
Protein foods contain an amino acid called tyrosine, which boosts the production of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine in the brain, according to Middle Tennessee State University. Increasing levels of these neurotransmitters improves alertness and energy, factors that alleviate depression. Meat, poultry, fish and eggs contain high amounts of protein. Foods containing tryptophan, an amino acid that helps build protein, may also help brain chemicals to improve your moods. In the brain, tryptophan converts to serotonin, a neurotransmitter often deficient in depressed people. Milk, bananas, oats, poultry, cheese, nuts and peanut butter have tryptophan.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates include potatoes, rice, nuts, cereals, fish, pasta, corn and whole grain breads. Try these foods for meals or snacks. Carbohydrate-rich foods may increase serotonin in the brain and bring about calming effects, the Mayo Clinic explains. Carbohydrates also help the production of tryptophan. Your best results may come from complex carbohydrates, including whole grains. Whole grains retain more of their fiber and nutrients than refined grains that have been processed.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain folic acid, which helps combat depression. Deficiencies of folic acid have been linked to depression. Folic acid, a B-complex vitamin, helps improve serotonin levels in the brain. A diet high in fruits and vegetables, along with fish, may protect against depression. British and French researchers analyzed the dietary patterns of 3,486 middle-aged men and women who ate either a high-fat diet or a diet rich in whole foods, including fruits, vegetables and fish. The group eating whole foods had lower levels of depression after five years than the high-fat diet group, according to the study, published in the November 2009 issue of the "British Journal of Psychiatry."
Mediterranean Foods
People who follow the Mediterranean diet are less likely to develop depression, according to researchers at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. The diet includes rich amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and fish. The researchers studied 10,094 subjects and found that after four years, those who followed the diet closely had a more than 30 percent reduction in the risk of depression than those who followed the diet the least. The study was reported in the October 2009 issue of the "Archives of General Psychiatry."
References
- Middle Tennessee State University: Food, Mood and Neurotransmitters
- Mayo Clinic: Coping with Anxiety -- Can Diet Make a Difference?
- Medical News Today: Researchers Say Healthy Diet Protects Against Depression In Middle Age
- BJ Psych: Dietary Pattern and Depressive Symptoms in Middle Age
- ScienceDaily: Mediterranean Diet Associated with Reduced Risk of Depression
- Archives of General Psychiatry: Association of the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern with the Incidence of Depression
